In image forming apparatuses such as various types of printers, copiers, fax machines or all-in-one multifunctional machines with the combination of several above functions, image forming cartridges (i.e., ink cartridges, toner cartridges, etc.) mounted therein are utilized for image forming. For example, an inkjet printer achieves image forming by spraying ink in ink cartridges onto paper, and a laser printer achieves image forming by the transfer printing of toner in toner cartridges onto paper and hence heating. The image forming apparatus mainly comprises an image forming cartridge, a controller and other executing element for executing image forming, and a colorant (for example, ink in an ink cartridge or toner in a toner cartridge) is accommodated in the image forming cartridge.
When the image forming apparatus executes the image forming task, the colorant is gradually used out. Therefore, information storage devices are mounted on ink cartridges and toner cartridges by many original manufacturers and configured to record the product information of the ink cartridges or the toner cartridges and the consumption of the colorant. The consumption of the colorant is rewritten into the information storage devices in real time during the image forming of the image forming apparatuses. The information storage devices cannot be reset, and cannot be read in again or cannot be identified by the image forming apparatuses after the colorant is used out.
The ink cartridges or the toner cartridges provided by the original manufacturers are expensive and usually disposable products, but many users hope to independently add the colorant into the image forming cartridges so as to repetitively use the image forming cartridges after the colorant is used out. Therefore, the resettable information storage devices occur in the market. When the colorant is used out, the information storage device is restored to the bran-new state by the reset of the information stored therein, and hence the image forming apparatus can identify the information storage device again and the user can refill the ink cartridge or the toner cartridge with the colorant. Therefore, the ink cartridge or the toner cartridge can be repetitively used and the cost can be greatly reduced.
FIG. 1 is a schematic structural view illustrating the state when an information storage device in the prior art is arranged on an image forming cartridge in an image forming apparatus. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the information storage device 100 comprises a circuit board 101, a storage unit 102, a communication interface 103 and a control unit 104, and the image forming cartridge comprises a cartridge body 200 and an ink outlet 201, wherein the storage unit 102, the communication interface 103 and the control unit 104 are respectively arranged on the circuit board 101; the storage unit 102 and the communication interface 103 are respectively connected with the control unit 104; the circuit board 101 is mounted on the cartridge body 200 through a fixing rod 202; and a colorant is accommodated in the cartridge body 200.
After the image forming cartridge is mounted on the image forming apparatus, the storage unit in the information storage device is connected with a controller in the image forming apparatus through the communication interface; information related to the image forming cartridge, such as the manufacturer of the image forming cartridge, the date of manufacture, the effective duration, the expiration date, the product number, the identification code, the type of the image forming cartridge, the color of the colorant in the image forming cartridge, etc., is stored into the storage unit which can be communicated with the controller in the image forming apparatus; and the controller can acquire the information stored therein from the storage unit and match the relevant information, such as the product number, the identification code or the like, in the information with a predetermined identification mark in the controller. In the case of successful matching, it indicates that the image forming cartridge is applicable to the image forming apparatus, and thus the image forming apparatus can utilize the image forming cartridge to execute the corresponding image forming operation.
The controller can also generate corresponding change information, such as the remaining amount or the consumption of the colorant in the image forming cartridge, according to the use state of the image forming apparatus. When the image forming task is executed, the controller can calculate the consumption or the remaining amount of the colorant in the image forming cartridge in real time and transmit the information to the storage unit in real time so that the information can be stored into the storage unit.
As for the resettable information storage device, in general, the image forming apparatus transmits the change information to the storage unit when finishing the image forming task each time, and acquires the change information from the storage unit again when executing the next image forming task. The controller generates information, prompting that the colorant is used out or insufficient, to prompt the user to replace the image forming cartridge when determining that the colorant is used out or insufficient through the change information. Moreover, the control unit can determine the consumption of the colorant by the change information and reset the change information stored into the storage unit, namely rewriting the information related to the consumption or the remaining amount into the initial state information, that is to say, into the state indicating that the colorant in the image forming cartridge is full, when determining that the colorant is used out. And hence, the user can replace the image forming cartridge so that the image forming apparatus can continue to execute the image forming task.
However, when the control unit determines that the colorant is used out or insufficient by the change information and hence resets the change information in the storage unit, if the user does not replace the image forming cartridge in time or refill the image forming cartridge with the colorant in time but the change information in the storage unit has been reset, the change information may be inconsistent with the actual state of the image forming cartridge. At this point, the controller continues to control a corresponding component in the image forming apparatus to execute the image forming task but the image forming apparatus cannot execute the image forming task again after the colorant in the image forming cartridge has been actually used out. Therefore, the image forming process can be interrupted. Moreover, if the image forming apparatus utilizes thermal inkjet printing, a print head may be directly damaged in the case of continuous printing without ink.